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Microsoft slips back after gaining on Google
Microsoft looked like it was making gains on Google in terms of search over the past couple of months, but it appears to have slipped back somewhat.Analytics website Compete notes that MSN's Club.Live, whereby users were encouraged to use Microsoft's Live Search in order to gain points to win Microsoft products, had helped to boost searches for Bill Gates' company.
However, in August "it appears that Club.Live may have begun to wear on the fickle internet crowds", the website says. Microsoft's share slipped from 10.1 per cent in July to 9.4 per cent in August, and actual search queries slipped from 739 million to 703 million. Year-on-year volume change was a positive 15.2 per cent, however.
Google managed to consolidate its lead and now has two-thirds of the search market. In terms of query volumes, it increased from 4.8 billion to 4.97 billion between July and August, with a massive 46.6 per cent year-on-year volume change.
Yahoo is firmly in second place with a 19.8 per cent market share, although year-on-year query volumes have slipped by 14.1 per cent, from 1.7 billion to 1.5 billion.
Ask, the other major player in the search sector, saw its market share drop from August 2006, in spite of a major advertising campaign.
Take advantage of the search engines yourself by using link building.
Microsoft News posted on 14 September 2007
